Dear cousins … as I research our ancestors – specifically the medieval and Tudor era Wyatts – I am finding the most AMAZING and sometimes humorous discrepancies.

Everything must be quadruple checked, and even then the dates (within a few years) are not consistent. I possess a copy of The Papers of George Wyatt; even though it has a family tree, the tree does NOT have dates!

As you use the internet to work on your trees, beware of crazy dates. In most cases our ancestors were NOT elevated to high station before they were born. In many cases, decades old genealogies are chock full o’ wishful thinking. The exaggerations border on lies, but in some cases there are clues that lead to fascinating facts.

When will the book be done? When I get to the point where I feel I have opened all the doors. Hundreds of research pages later I am still at the point where every door leads to five more.

This is an angle I hadn’t seen before – a photo of Allington Castle as seen from the river. It was taken about 1890. (Obviously it had fallen on hard times.)

In 1905 it was purchased and partially restored by Lord and Lady Conway. The story of their purchase and renovation is fascinating. Lady Conway shares it in an antique magazine I just purchased. When I have time I will retype in full and share here. I could scan, but I think it would be very hard to read.

I could just stare at these paintings: Anne Boleyn by Frans Porbus the Younger and Elizabeth Tudor, her daughter, by William Scots. I discovered the one to the left in “Elizabeth & Mary – Cousins, Rivals, Queens” by Jane Dunn.

I read online that there is no certainty that Porbus’ painting is of Anne, but the resemblance to Elizabeth seems evident in the eyes, lips and chin. (I want to put images like this in the book, but I’m worried about expense to the reader; I may make two versions.)

A person could easily have mixed feelings about “our cousin” Anne Boleyn, but not her daughter. Not me, anyway. As a young girl she saw the women who loved her fall to the blade and went on to develop a backbone of steel. She knew when and how to reinvent herself as necessary. She is an inspiration.

I haven’t posted in a while, I have been buried in books. Nothing I have read confirms that Sir Thomas Wyatt had an affair with Ann; it is clear that he loved her.

When Henry VIII let it be known that Anne was his, Sir Thomas started up with another – Elizabeth Darrel, who was Maid of Honor to Katherine of Aragon; Elizabeth was steadfast to the end and was in the queen’s will.

There’s another lady worthy of respect – Katherine of Aragon.

Elizabeth had three children by Sir Tom – one who died with his half-brother as a result of Wyatt’s Rebellion. So, Wyatt cousins … there are more of us than I thought.

Burning questions? Oh, heck yeah.

How did Sir Thomas feel about Katherine of Aragon?
How did he genuinely feel about the king’s Great Matter?
When (and why) did Cromwell develop such a deep affection for Sir Thomas?
How did Sir Thomas maintain respect for a king who grew increasingly violent towards those he loved?
How did he maintain relationships with friends who hated each other?

THE BIG QUESTION: Why was Anne Boleyn so important to the Wyatts that – several generations after her death – George Wyatt would become her first biographer? Was it because she was a reformer, or was it more than that?

So many mysteries, so little time. If anyone has clues – or has contact information for our esteemed “cousin” the Earl of Romney, let me know!